2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Greuling
A surname derived from the German "greulich" meaning horrific or dreadful.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Greuling. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Greuling surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Greuling in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Greuling, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Greuling
The surname GREULING has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the early 16th century. It is derived from the German word "greulich," which means "horrible" or "dreadful." This suggests that the name may have been given as a descriptive nickname to someone with a fierce or intimidating appearance or demeanor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the GREULING surname can be found in the historical records of the city of Cologne, where a certain Hans Greuling was mentioned in a document dated 1532. This document suggests that the family may have been based in or around the Cologne region during that time period.
In the 17th century, the GREULING name appears in several religious texts and records, indicating that some members of the family may have been involved in the clergy or held positions within the church. For example, a Father Johannes Greuling is mentioned in a chronicle of the Benedictine monastery in Würzburg, dated 1673.
The 18th century saw the emergence of a notable GREULING figure, the German philosopher and theologian Johann Christoph Greuling (1709-1784). Born in Saxony, Greuling was a prominent figure in the German Enlightenment and authored several works on moral philosophy and theology.
Another influential GREULING was the 19th-century German painter and lithographer Carl Greuling (1801-1862). Born in Nuremberg, Greuling was known for his detailed landscape paintings and lithographs depicting scenes from Bavaria and the Black Forest region.
In the early 20th century, the GREULING name gained further recognition with the German chemist Erich Greuling (1886-1964), who made significant contributions to the field of polymer chemistry and was involved in the development of synthetic rubber during World War II.
While the GREULING surname is still found primarily in Germany and other German-speaking regions, it has also spread to other parts of the world through immigration. Some variations of the spelling include Greulich, Greuliche, and Greulicher, reflecting the name's German origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Greuling
Among Census respondents with the surname Greuling, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Greuling bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Greuling surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 103
- Two or more races5.2% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 5
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Greuling
Greuling appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-8 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,932 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+10 bearers (+9.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,741 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 17,932 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.4%) | Up 8,741 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Greuling surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #153,769 | #145,028 | 5.7% |
| Count | 106 | 116 | 9.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Greuling bearers went from 106 to 116 (+9.4% change). The surname moved up 8,741 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #145,028.
FAQ
Greuling surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Greuling?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Greuling. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Greuling?
Greuling ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 116 people with the surname Greuling. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Greuling.
Has Greuling become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Greuling went from 106 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 10 (+9.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Greuling?
Among Census respondents with the surname Greuling, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (4.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Greuling in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Greuling appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Two or More Races (5.2%), Hispanic (4.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Greuling (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Greuling mean?
A surname derived from the German "greulich" meaning horrific or dreadful. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Greuling (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Greuling?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Greuling, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.